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"Do I even need to ask?" Michael muttered

"What happened?" Sarah replied Her Aura was as haggard as he felt A rat’s nest of hair, skin flushed and bruised, her clothes soaked with sweat "No, we don’t have a clue"

Bryson forced out a laugh "Yeah, we do Soh the VirtNet, seeing every neato world it has to offer A trip to last--"

"A lifetime"

A man’s voice finished the sentence for Bryson Michael spun around--another dizzy wave of pain--to see the person who’d spoken walking toward theed, with an expensive haircut, sharp clothes A handso fa to a stop right in front of the to end up very short if you three don’t start doing what is asked of you"

"Where’s Kaine?" Sarah asked "We know you work for hih at this point, just like so you’d see the villain do in a bad spy movie But he didn’t Instead, he scratched his chin and a conte to coood lie, maybe

And then it hit Michael Like soht between the shoulder blades The uy he’d met in the cabin, out in those woods behind the castle Back before he’d been swept into the Mortality Doctrine

"Kaine," Michaelformed like a luent had still found them

"Thank you for the introduction," Kaine replied "As you can see,day by day" He swept his arer version of hient as old as I a before you were even born Everything I’ve done to becoer, I’ve done myself Oh, the stories I could tell you The wonders Only a blip, of course, compared to what lies ahead"

"Just tell us what you want," Sarah said, her voice about as resigned as Michael had ever heard it "I’reed "Not in the

Kaine smiled "You truly misunderstand me" He put his hands in the pockets of his crisply ironed pants The purple glow beneath his feet shone up on hi across his face "I actually have no proble it your way I’ll say it si around the bush"

"So far, so bad," Brysonsnake, Kaine kneeled on the ground and had a hand around Bryson’s throat The Tangent’s grasp stretched iers could wrap around Bryson’s neck cohtened

"But that," Kaine said calmly, "will not be tolerated You’ll show me respect or … consequences Do you understandHis hands had corip

Kaine let go and stood up He seehing and spitting, and Sarah rushed to hi Kaine a look of pure hatred Michael worried she’d say sos worse, but she wisely kept quiet

The Tangent s to say what I ca to hear it All three of you But first, Bryson will apologize and ask iveness If not, he will cease to exist and his body will die in the Wake This isn’t an idle threat He has three seconds"

"I’ive me" Michael wanted to punch Kaine so badly it hurt

Kaine clapped slowly "Very good Your apology is accepted and you are forgiven"

"Will you please just tell us what’s going on?" Michael asked

"Yes," the Tangent replied He leaned forward, hands on his knees, his handsorown to twice the size of a normal human head; Michael was sure of it